Ferrari can be pretty anal when it comes to modifying its cars or even using its badges on a vehicle other than its own. Now the Italian supercar-maker is threatening to take legal actions against the British owner of the world’s fastest limousine, a modified 360 that can go up to a top speed of 166mph – 267 km/h. According to reports, Dan Cawley, 36, of Cheadle, Manchester, has 14 days to remove all prancing horse badges, Ferrari names and “360 Modena” symbols from the 6m (20ft) supercar-limo.
“What kind of precedent does it set when you can’t do what you like with your own property?” asked Mr Cawley. Ferrari’s lawyers support that since Mr Cawley cut the 360 Modena in half and inserted a 3m (9.5ft) section of hand-built carbon fibre, the car is no longer a Ferrari, so he has to remove the badges and logos or else he’ll face legal action for infringing the Ferrari trademark.
Thanks to my brother, Uncle Don, for finding the article and to tripw for finding the video and website.
Is it just me, or does that photo look poorly Photoshopped?
This is not a property rights issue as the story makes it out to be. It is a Trademark issue. Ferrari isn’t saying he can’t do what he wants to to the car he bought. What they are saying is that he can’t keep calling it (or marking it) a Ferrari.
Ferrari has a lot invested in a very valuable name. If you change what they built, or as Miami Vice did, use the Ferrari name and trade mark on something Ferrari didn’t even build they would be nuts not to react.
hand-built carbon fibre, the car is no longer a Ferrari….
No longer a Ferrari….Hmmmm
Sounds like a good situation to create “this is not a ferrari” logos and replace the prancing horse with the horse’s ass.
In the last part of the quote, the lawyer did say it was a trademark issue.
If I had a product that I was very proud of, the last person I would want to be associated with is someone who would turn an Italian sports car into a limo. Generally these limo guys are stupid, slimey, pathetic idiots. When their porn business doesn’t go so well, they open a limo business on the side. I say take away his ferrari, slap him accross the face with a fish soaked in olive oil and teach him not to be such a douche bag.
Ciao
This is a genuine limo.
http://www.ferrarilimo.co.uk/
The guy cut the car in half. So the front half and the rear half are still Ferrari. I would think that as long as he doesn’t use any Ferrari badging on the inserted part the guy is still correct and needn’t remove the badges. This, however, is Britain and sometimes they are a little funnier.
This trademark suit wouldn’t fly in the US. Maybe he should move his business here…
If you buy a car, it is your car, not the manufacturer’s. He paid them a lot of money to own it; he did not lease it. Modding happens all the time to lots of different brands of cars. It is understood that the modification is the owner’s, not the car manufacturer’s. I wonder if Ferrari is copying the reasoning of the RIAA / MPAA / etc. who feel that if they sell something, they can still have total control over it.
Why is this worse than if he had wrecked the car? I would think that the image of a wrecked
Ferrari is a lot worse than a modded one. Are car builders going to start coming after people who have accidents?
Is it just me, or does anyone else think this is just plain wrong? A Ferrari is not meant to ride in, its meant to be driven and be seen driving it.
Riding in the back of this thing, to me, would be akin to riding in the back of a pick-up truck… There is just no way to do it and still look cool.
If they demanded that I take off the labels, then I would, not to respect them, but because I would lose respect for their label.
I wonder how it performs in tight cones?
“If you buy a car, it is your car, not the manufacturer’s. He paid them a lot of money to own it; he did not lease it. ”
If only software was like that!
If the bloke chopped up the car for his personal use, I doubt the Ferrari lawyers would have done anything.
But he is using the Ferrari image to increase his company’s profits and promote his business. That is where the line was crossed.
I changed the rims and hood on my car, does that mean I can no longer call it a Honda?
#14 “That is where the line was crossed.”
Not really. If I chop up a car in the US and I then say, “I turned this Ferrari into a limo you can buy.” Ferrari would be SOL.
If this was in the US, I wonder if Ferrari would try to use the DMCA…
Well, I side with Ferrari on this one. It is kind of like taking a Beatles recording, wiping out the vocals, inserting your own and advertising it as “the Beatles”.
But it is all beside the point. If you want a limo, get a real one, like the one Kennedy was shot in, for example. Limos and sports cars don’t mix. This is as silly as people who put sweet things on bagels!
Interesting.
I think the guy is going to have a hard time in the future if he wants to buy a new Ferrari.
Ferrari is very, very protective of their image. I know it sounds crazy but just try to buy one.
Having the money is not enough, waiting lists are long and the normal way of getting on a dealership list is buying a used Ferrari. This on the other hand has sparked their ire.
This may be potentially the first guy, unofficially because I doubt any dealership would ever admit it, blacklisted from buying a new Ferrari.
Does this mean I have to remove the Ferrari sticker I bought at the county fair and stuck on my kid’s Neon?
Is Ferrari saying they can tell me where I can put those stickers, which I assume are licensed more often than not? What about the t-shirts with Ferrari logos, can I wear one while driving a Jeep? (not that I would be caught dead in such a stupid shirt, but that’s not the point)
The most important purchases in one’s life:
1. Your house(s)/land
2. Your car(s)
3. Everything else.
If I were him, I’d make up a custom Ferraricawley logo and slap it on.
If I put a WV beetle motor in my Ferrari to save gas, is it still a Ferrari? If I paint it a non-factory color is it still a Ferrari? If I put spinning wheel rims on it is it still a Ferrari? If I hang fuzzy dice from the rear view mirror, etc?
#23 – SwampGas,
The most important purchases in one’s life:
1. Your house(s)/land
2. Your car(s)
3. Everything else.
Terrible priorities you’ve got there. It may be nice to be able to buy a house and land and a car. However, if you have a choice between saving money for a down payment on a house and putting food on your family, buy food.
(Sorry, couldn’t resist a little totally unrelated Bush bashing. I assume everyone will get the reference.)
This happened to me when I made my Pinto Limo. Henry himself called me up and threatened to sue if I didn’t take the Ford logo off. Pissed me off so much I put a Mercedes logo on it and man did the rentals take off! Everyone thought they were renting a Mercedes limo. Ahh…Good times.
“If you want a limo, get a real one, like the one Kennedy was shot in, for example.”
I dont think anyone actualy makes a factory limo anymore. Checker used to make one. I think they are all stretched by custom shops now. Same holds true for hearses.
I have seem hummer limos, saturn limos, ford f350 limos. So what, get over it Ferarri.
Oh, and a Corvette limo in Mystery Men
#27 – Les,
I think they are all stretched by custom shops now. Same holds true for hearses.
Best hearse ever was in Harold and Maude. It was made out of a Jaguar E Type by Harold.
[The Jaguar hearse was destroyed at the end and no replica exists because they only constructed one version for filming. – ed.]
Hey, it’s a Ferrari coming and going, just not in the middle !!!
#25 – OK, my list assumes you can eat.
You know what would be fun would be a limo like that with Prius logos on it and Sierra Club bumper stickers.
#29 – ed.,
Thanks. I couldn’t find a photo of it.